Editor s Note
As Media Partners of the GPCA's 4th International Conference for Plastic Conversion (PlastCon 2013), it is a pleasure to present the 2nd Edition of Polymer & Packaging International. The forum is in a unique position to provide stakeholders an opportunity to not only gain insight into the latest market and technological opportunities in the global and regional arena, but also to create alliances that mutually benefit players. The market is making the right moves, and at Polymer and Packaging International, we strive not only to facilitate discourse and discussion, but also bring together the expertise of highly qualified people in this area. From a Pakistani context, the role of the industry cannot be overemphasized. There is a plethora of opportunities for the 6000 odd plastic product manufacturers in the country. Although the world economy is nursing itself out of recession and the local economy of Pakistan is faced with inflationary challenges, energy and law and order crises while the country is headed for elections which opens the floodgates for speculation, it was very heartening to see that in addition to Pakistani scientists and a packed hall of related students and local professionals, a large number of eminent Textile Technology Experts from the countries including the U.K. Turkey, Japan, Czech Republic were present at the COVITEX 2013 conference on Value Addition and Innovation in Textiles held at Faisalabad. More encouraging was the significant number of young professionals engrossed in technical sessions on cutting edge developments in technical textile involving polymers. There is a tremendous scope for expansion in the plastics sector; the per capita consumption of plastics as compared other regional countries is still low, but again this low consumption level indicates that there is a lot of upside potential for this industry. Looking externally, with more emphasis on productivity and quality, combined with the recognition of technological advancement, the exports of plastic auto parts is now a growing contributor to Pakistan s economy. In our continued quest, Polymer and Packaging International will continue to harness technical and market excellence available globally to bring Pakistan closer to cutting edge technology. We understand fully the role we must play in this arena, and our approach will always be multipronged. Technology awareness, market exposure and access, and productivity enhancement will be the key to a robust industry in Pakistan. We aim to be the catalyst of these changes.
Content Editor s Note
3
Announcement: Introducing our Editorial Panel
4
The Pulse of Progress 5 Year Trend of machinery and material imports in Pakistan
5
GPCA Cover Story: A Platform to Maximize Value & Growth
7
ARABPLAST 2013 - Post Show Report
8
Local News
11
International News
12
FEATURED ARTICLES: - Recycling Industry in Pakistan
15
- The Relationship Between the Hot Tack of Packaging Material & Filling Efficiency
16
- Italian Plastic Industry: Export Drives Improvements
18
- INDIA: Plastic Industry to Touch Rs 1000 billion Growth in 2013
19
- BIODEGRADABLES: Back to Nature
20
- Performance using Oxo-Biodegradable Additive System: An Experiment
22
OUR TEAM Managing Editor S.H Rizvi editor@thesis.com.pk
Associate Editor Nida Khan nida@thesis.com.pk
Business Development Manager Akbar Baseer Khan akbar@thesis.com.pk
Layout & Visualization Rehan A Hashmi rehan@thesis.com.pk
Address: 64-C, 3rd Floor, 21st Commercial Street, D.H.A Phase 2 ext Phone: +92-21-3246-1722 Website: www.thesis.com.pk
Introducing Our
Editorial Panel We are at a turning point in the history of this industry in Pakistan and it is an exciting yet challenging time for Polymers and Packaging International. We believe that technology, innovation and transfer of knowledge is critical at this stage, and in providing necessary support to this industry, we have committed ourselves to be the agents of these changes. We are pleased to announce that we have established an editorial board comprising eminent scientists, researchers and professionals. The collective effort of the board will be to provide real time information and research on pressing issues in the industry; they will collect, collate and transfer knowledge through the magazine on an on-going basis in the shape of research material, technical papers and the latest updates on technology innovations. Polymer. & Packaging International would like to take the opportunity to welcome Dr. Tahir Shah to our Editorial Panel.
DR. TAHIR SHAH Academic Staff Member Bolton University, UK Dr. Shah graduated from University of Salford with a BSc in Chemistry and Biochemistry and a PhD in Polymer Chemistry 1981. He carried on working at the same university as a Research Associate. He was also a Senior Research Associate with the Imperial Chemical Industries and RTZ Chemicals. He also served as a Research Advisor at SABIC R&D, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, working on the development of infrastructure and manpower to carry out research and development programs in Polymer Science and Technology. Currently Dr. Shah is a member of the academic staff at Bolton University and his research has the underlying themes of Smart Materials and Technical Textiles. His research interests also include controlling polymer structure and morphology in order to manipulate material properties. We not only look forward to welcoming our readers in the future with more editions of Polymers and Packaging International but are optimistic about other high profile professionals joining our editorial panel. We are confident that together with our esteemed panel, we will create a repository of shared information that will benefit stakeholders and take the industry to a new level of performance. 04 | Polymer & Packaging
PLASTIC | PRINTING | PACKAGING
THE PULSE OF PROGRESS
5 Year Trend of machinery and material imports in Pakistan PRINTING MACHINERY 4.00
GRAVURE PRINTING MACHINERY HSCODE: 84431700
3.50
140.00
3.00
120.00
2.50
100.00
2.00 1.50
80.00 60.00
1.00
40.00
0.50
20.00
0.00
2008
2009
2010
2011
PACKING/WRAPPING MACHINE HSCODE: 84224000
160.00
US$ Million
US$ Million
PACKAGING MACHINERY
2012
0.00
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Polymer & Packaging | 05
PLASTIC MATERIAL
25.00
LOW DENSITY POLYTHYLENE LDPE HSCODE: 39011000
200.00
20.00
150.00
15.00
US$ Million
US$ Million
250.00
PLASTIC & RUBBER MACHINERY
100.00 50.00 0.00
2008
2009
2010
2011
0.00
2012
POLYETHERS HSCODE: 390720000
350
12.00
250
10.00
200 150
50
2.00 2011
0.00
2012
2011
2012
MOULDS FOR RUBBER/PLASTICS HSCODE: 84807900
6.00 4.00
2010
2010
8.00
100
2009
2009
14.00
300
2008
2008
16.00
US$ Million
US$ Million
10.00 5.00
400
0.00
INJECTION-MOULDING MACHINES HSCODE: 84771000
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
PROPYLENE COPOLYMERS HSCODE: 39023000
90.00 80.00 70.00
US$ Million
60.00 50.00 40.00 30.00 20.00 10.00 0.00
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
PAPER & PAPER BOARD MACHINERY 14.00 12.00
12.00
120.00
120.00
10.00
10.00
US$ Million
US$ Million
14.00
PULP MAKING MACHINERY HSCODE: 84391000
8.00 6.00
8.00 6.00
4.00
4.00
2.00
2.00
0.00
2008
2009
2010
06 | Polymer & Packaging
2011
2012
PULP/PAPER MAKING MACHINERY PARTS HSCODE: 84419090
0.00
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
A PLATFORM TO MAXIMISE VALUE AND GROWTH By Dr Abdulwahab Al Sadoun, Secretary General of the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association
The GCC plastics sector is earmarked for
GCC Plastics Industry , PlastCon 2013 has
their competitive edge. That is why in-depth
significant growth. According to our estimates,
assembled around 400 senior industry experts
discussions of cutting-edge polymer technology,
the annual production of resins, the building
from across the Middle East and international
such as new carbon composites, vacuum
blocks for the products we take for granted
markets, including representatives from Sabic,
deposition techniques for thin films, and
such as shopping bags and drinks bottles, will
Chemtura, Nexant, Sipchem, Borouge, and
advancements in plastic film applications, will
jump more than 73%, from 13.6 million tonnes
Tasnee, among other major corporations.
occupy a significant portion of the PlastCon
to 23.6 million tonnes, between now and 2015.
Organised by the GPCA and ICIS, the world s
schedule.
Today, the majority of that output is exported
largest petrochemical information provider,
To further incentivise industry innovation in
abroad, but at a time when increasing emphasis
the fourth edition of the event will evaluate
our region, PlastCon 2013 is staging 3rd Annual
is being placed on developing local industries
the spectre of increasing competition from
Plastics Innovations Awards on April 8, selected
capable of producing valuable finished products
North America, fuelled by its shale gas boom,
by a handpicked jury of experts. And to
besides the raw materials essential to sustain
stalling demand in Asia, and the impact of the
encourage even more participation this year,
global manufacturing, the resin consumption
ongoing Eurozone crisis, not least the squeeze
the awards entry categories will be widened.
of Middle East-based plastics converters will
on project finance.
grow by half over the next five years, from
A new award, the Student Talent in Plastics
Of course there are as many opportunities as
award, will recognise young talent entering
challenges facing the industry and these will
the industry, with a cheque for AED10,000
That is good news for the Gulf states,
also be top of the agenda. Considering their
presented to the chosen nominee at the
supporting industry diversification at home
unparalleled feedstock advantages and
conference s gala dinner.
and delivering even greater returns from their
strategic location between developed markets
precious oil and natural gas reserves. Ensuring
in the West and the emerging economies of
this positive trend is maintained will be the
Asia, Middle East-based converters can build
focus of PlastCon, the leading conference for
market share with confidence.
3.6 million tonnes to 5.4 million tonnes.
plastics converters in the Middle East, hosted by the Gulf Petrochemicals & Chemicals Association in Dubai. Held on the theme Creating Value Across the
While the GCC industry will continue to face major challenges, if the capabilities of Middle East s converters continue to be nurtured through innovation, collaboration and
But innovation will increasingly define market
investment, the region can expect to win an
leadership as much as cost efficiency.
ever bigger share of the global plastics market.
Converters in the Gulf must continue to invest
PlastCon is a platform to help achieve this
in R&D and product innovation to maintain
ambitious but viable target.
Polymer & Packaging | 07
ARABPLAST 2013
POST SHOW REPORT Arabplast 2013- No. 1 show in the region in plastics, petrochemicals and rubber
ARABPLAST TRADE VISITOR ANALYSIS
industry was 34% bigger than the 2012 edition, following greater response from exhibitors and sponsors. A record number of 794 companies from 41 countries participated in the event.
Europe
1,059
The show covered a wide spectrum of plastic machinery, plastic/rubber processing
GCC
19,909
technology, pre and post-processing systems, plastic packaging technology, injection
African Countries
564
Indian Subcontinent
1,744
Asia
1,362
Others
1,008 25,646
Total No of countries
106
moulding, blow moulding, wrapping technology, extrusions, chemicals and additives, semi finished goods, engineering plastics and plastic products.
Visitor response to high International level of participation & wide spectrum of exhibits Approximately 33% more trade professionals came to Arabplast 2013 edition. Out of the total, 39% came from the countries outside the GCC. The largest number of foreign visitors came from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan,
2%
7%
% 4% 5% 4
Egypt, African countries, and India, while China, Germany, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon contributed adequately to the trade visitors. The important exhibiting companiesÂ’ manufacturers rose to 36% on an average basis, as compared to the last edition of Arabplast. It is estimated that 49% of the trade visitors showed their interest for Plastic machinery & Plastic related equipments, while 31% of the visitors expressed their interest in raw materials and 20% were interested to meet participants from Thermoforming, Extruders, Packaging related companies. Moreover, it is important to highlight that 67% of the visitors were employed as high-level management.
78% Asia African Countries GCC Europe Indian Subcontinent Others
ARABPLAST 2013 FACT SHEET 1 Total halls
8
2 No. of years (editions)
22 Years
3 List of Countries Participating
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jordan, KSA, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Netherlands, Turkey, U.A.E, U.K, U.S.A and Vietnam
4 No. of exhibitors
794 exhibitors
5 Gross Area
40,000 sqm
6 Visitors
The show attracted 29,646 visitors on four days from 113 countries.
7 Arabplast 2013 Results
Machinery worth US $15 million displayed at Arabplast 2013, 20% higher than 2011 edition
08 | Polymer & Packaging
8 Incremental growth of the show
34%
9 Country Pavilions
China, India, Egypt, Korea, Taiwan, Germany, Austria, Turkey, Switzerland, Italy, Iran, UK, USA, GCC
10 Participating Associations\
VDMA , EUROMAP, Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE), The Plastics Export Promotion Council (Plexconcil), EEPC India, WKÖ (The Austrian Economic Chambers), OSEC (Business Network Switzerland), BFP ( British Plastics Federation), PAGDER Plastic Industry Association
Government Authorities
12 Sponsors
Principal Sponsor
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Media Sponsor
Exhibitor Feedback Name: IDRIS MULLA
My all over experience was quite good and the number of opportunities for SABIC have increased through this event.
Name: SANDEEP JAISWAL
The event has met my expectations. In 3 days, we welcomed almost 150 customers. Our overall experience was tremendous.
Name: Amim El Dib
Arabplast is a very important trade fair for the Gulf region. Altough visitorship was the same as compared to the last event, we had a number of customers who visited us especially for polypropylene.
Name: ANWAR HANNAN
We have received an excellent response. Being one of the biggest event of this region, it is a great platform to intermingle with hundreds of customers.
Name: SILVANO ZATTRA
Despite the market being steady, I have new projects at hand through ArabPlast 2013. We are looking forward to participating in 2015.
Name: MOHAMMAD TAHSEEN
We have received positive response from old and new customers. The size of the event has increased tremendously and I see all the halls are completely booked.
Name: DEEPAK PATHAK
It was a great exhibition and we have made new customers. Arabplast is also an important platform to do business with old customers.
Polymer & Packaging | 09
LOCAL NEWS
Clariant Pakistan introduces locally manufactured liquid and paste masterbatches On February 27, 2013 Clariant Pakistan Limited inaugurated the 2nd Masterbatches Production building at Korangi Karachi - Pakistan. This new production line on one hand increases the existing production capacity and at the same time induces new Liquid & Paste Masterbatch technology in the indigenous product portfolio. Clariant Pakistan will be the leading Company to introduce this technology in the region. This new coloration technique will bring the local converters in line with international plastic manufacturers, when it comes to breadth of choices for modification of plastic materials. Addressing an audience of leading industrialists, professionals and Clariant Customers at the inauguration ceremony, the Head of Clariant International, Business Unit Masterbatches, Dr. Hans Bohnen, hailed the new project prop of Clariant commitment to its Clients by constantly coming up with innovation beneficial to them. Mr. Bohnen further reiterated that today s plant inauguration is in line with Clariant s strategy of Business Unit Masterbatches which is growth via regional initiative, focus on most attractive market segment, implementing industry leading model and finally to build next level of innovation. Once this technology is available locally, it will not only support the local converters, but can also be exported to Middle East & Africa as Pakistan will become the Regional Hub for Liquid Masterbatches for the region IMEA, further informed by Dr. Bohnen. Later on, he awarded certificates to the Key Performers of the project and also appreciated the performance of the local Engineering team for constructing the 2nd production building in record period of 7 months together with indigenous installation of the new extrusion line. Enumerating the overall benefit of the new project, Clariant Pakistan s CEO, Mr. Mujtaba Rahim, confirmed that this new investment will open up vistas for the local industry, particularly for manufacturers of PET and PVC articles. While speaking to the august audience, the Head of Clariant Pakistan BU Masterbatches, Mr. Atba Farooqui, further stated that Clariant is committed to provide quality products to the Customers and continues to respond proactively in bringing new technology to support the growing needs of the market. He briefly explained how Clariant took the lead in 1993 in establishing the first Masterbatches Plant in Pakistan and later on in 2007 a Rapid Response Unit and now in 2013 Liquid Masterbatch technology; all to support the local plastic industry.
The Chairman, Pakistan Plastic Association, Mr. Shakeel Ahmed, appreciated Clariant s initiative to bring the liquid technology into Pakistan. He quantified various future benefits availed by local as well as by regional converters after having the liquid technology in this part of the World. Also present on the occasion were Mr. HansUlrich Kurtz, Regional Head of BU Masterbatches IMEA and Mr. Marc Danner, Regional Head of Finance.
oxygen, gradually weakening internal bond of plastic material by allowing biological degradation to take place. Finally the bag will vanish leaving behind humus (a non-toxic product). The plastics have extensive usage in packaging of food, beverages, cigarette, leather, textile, electrical/mechanical machinery and components. Now, it is also being used in agriculture as mulches and in forestry for saplings.
No more polythene bags in Source: Business Recorder the capital Covitex 2013: Transforming * Violators of ban to be tried under f r o m Conventional to Environmental Protection Act, with penalties Technical Textiles ranging from Rs 100,000 to Rs 1 million fine to imprisonment ISLAMABAD: The ban on the use of traditional polythene bags in the Islamabad Capital Territory is been replaced with the introduction of biodegradable and hygienic bags for commercial and domestic use. It has been implemented diligently and those violating it shall be tried under the Environmental Protection Act through Environmental tribunals which may penalize the violators a fine from Rs 100,000 to Rs 1 million and imprisonment. Over the years the use of polythene bags has been posing serious environmental and health hazards in the country. It is astonishing that Pakistan s people use 55 billion polythene bags every year with 8000 industrial units busy in preparing this extremely hazardous product that result in numerous diseases including the killing disease of cancer. Previous studies reveal that every Pakistani uses one polythene bag daily with the growth of 15%, as the experts envisaged that production and use of polythene bags in the country will jump to 112 billion by 2015. A testing machine is being donated to the Ministry by Oxo-Biodegradable Organisation of the United Kingdom for testing the material of the finished bags. The minister said this decision and promotion of degradable polythene bags will also help increase the country s exports, as many countries have demanded on numerous occasions to pack our export goods in Oxo-biodegradable bags. A number of organizations, like ICI, Dawn Bread, MENU and KFC are already using these bags. Many countries in Asia, Europe and America have successfully controlled plastic waste by introducing oxo-biodegradable plastic technology. The technology is simple which neither needs alteration in machinery nor in the process. A small quantity of olefin based additive (1-3%) is mixed with raw material (granules) to develop biodegradable properties in plastic. Plastic bags made with this technology, if left in open air or water, absorb
FAISALABAD. March 20: The second edition of COVITEX International Conference on Value Addition and Innovation in Textiles jointly organized by the Higher Education Commission and Pakistan Science Foundation successfully concluded in Faisalabad. Despite Pakistan's economy of the country said to be undergoing recession and elections around the corner which usually sparks speculation in many minds, the conference hall was packed with prominent international and local speakers delivering research papers on cutting edge technology including the growing role of polymers in conventional textile to the audience comprising local industry professionals, faculty members and students. Hosted by National Textile University, Faisalabad, in collaboration with University of Bolton (U.K.)and Marmara University (Turkey), speakers at the forum were of the opinion that in order to boost textile exports from Pakistan and earn valuable foreign exchange, new and cutting edge technology should be introduced in Pakistan. According to the international experts at the conference who hailed from countries including U.K. Turkey, Japan and the Czech Republic, although Pakistan is a developing market, introducing new technology coupled with further human resource development initiatives are integral to giving the textile industry on Pakistan a boost that it can benefit from. In terms of size, COVITEX 2013 was much larger than the inaugural edition. At total of 37 papers technical papers and presentations were shared with the audience on topics including Technical Textiles, Non-woven, Fashion Design, Modeling and Simulation, Recycling, Nanotechnologies, Polymer enhancement and Energy conversation. Eminent researchers from international universities were also available real time via video link to answer any queries that the audience had. Source: National Textile University
Polymer & Packaging | 11
08
INTERNATIONAL NEWS M&G inks $1 billion PET packaging plant contract
development of new environmentally-friendly materials. Green Plastic is our generic term for all technologies using plant-based materials.
The M&G Group, one of the three leading producers in the Americas of PET for packaging applications, announced that it has signed a US$ 1 billion engineering, procurement and construction contract with Sinopec Engineering Co., Ltd. for the turnkey construction in Corpus Christi (Texas, US) of the world's largest single line PET plant with a capacity of 1 million tons per year (2.2 billion pounds), integrated with the largest western world's single line PTA plant with a capacity of 1.2 million tons per year (2.6 billion pounds).
Green Plastic has already yielded practical applications, and MMC has begun to employ it in a variety of vehicle parts. In the future, we will actively work to expand the use of Green Plastic in more number of vehicle parts.
M&G's engineering arms, Chemtex Global S.à r.l. and M&G Finanziaria S. r. l will provide critical equipment and services on a subcontracting basis to turnkey contractor SEG.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and university cooperators have developed a biodegradable plastic that could be used in disposable food containers. The thermoplastic becomes soft when heated.
The completion of construction of the plants, including the time required to obtain necessary permits, is expected to occur within 36 months.
To make the plastic, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists incorporated biodegradable sugar beet pulp, which is the leftover residue from sugar extraction, with a biodegradable polymer. The result is thermoplastic composites that retain mechanical properties similar to polystyrene and polypropylene, the compounds used to make white, spongy food packages.
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China ("ICBC", the world's largest bank by market capitalization) and Banco Inbursa (a leading Mexican bank) are expected to provide the bank financing for the project. M&G will be the sole owner of the plants and solely responsible for their operation. "This is the largest PET investment ever in the western world and probably one of the largest investments recently announced in the US in the private sector. It is the celebration of excellence. It combines the excellence of the Corpus Christi (Texas, US) site, the excellence of state of the art technologies, and the excellence of geographical heterogeneous project participants in their respective fields of competence being production of PET/PTA, engineering and construction of chemical plants or banking and financial services. It shows that good projects attract the very best even in the current economic downturn. I am very proud of this achievement" said Marco Ghisolfi, CEO of M&G's Polymers Business Unit. "The awarding of this important contract to SEG is a big milestone for entering the North America EPC market which is a part of SEG business strategy to diversify from coal chemicals to polymers" said Yan Shaochun, Padent and CEO of SINOPEC Engineering Group. Source: Packaging Digest
Green Plastic (Plant-Based Plastics Technology) In order to reduce carbon dioxide (CO²) emissions and the use of fossil resources, MMC is developing plant-based materials and is employing them in its automobile manufacturing. In order to prevent global warming (reduce CO² emissions) and reduce the use of fossil resources, MMC is focusing on a variety of plant-based materials and promoting the 12 | Polymer & Packaging
Source: Mitsubishi
USDA turns beets into disposable, biodegradable plastic food packaging
Processors generate tons of sugar beet pulp annually. Finding profitable uses for it is critical for the long-term economic viability of U.S. agribusiness. Now, ARS chemist LinShu Liu and plant physiologist Arland Hotchkiss, both at the ARS Eastern Regional Research Center in Wyndmoor, PA, and their colleagues have found a variety of new uses for sugar beet pulp. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. In collaboration with Professor Jinwen Zhang of Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman, Liu and his colleagues developed the thermoplastic, which is manufactured from both sugar beet pulp and a biodegradable polymer called polylactic acid, or PLA, using a twin-screw extruder. PLA is a commercially available polymer derived from the sugars in corn, sugar beet, sugarcane, switchgrass and other plants, all of which are renewable feedstocks. The researchers showed that up to 50% sugar beet pulp can be incorporated with PLA to produce biodegradable thermoplastic composites that are similar to the petrochemical compounds used in making spongy disposable food packages. The new thermoplastic is cost-competitive with such commonly used petrochemical plastics, according to the scientists. Source: Packaging Digest
GCC s plastics consumption set to grow 8% by 2020 JEDDAH - The world will consume 540 million tons of plastic in 2020, according to the organizers of Arabplast 2013 the Middle East s premier trade show for rubber, plastics and
petrochemicals at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre. The figure was only 7 million tons in 1960, 196 million tons in 2005 and 260 million tons in 2007 and is expected to cross 365 million tons in 2015. Messe Düsseldorf Germany and Al Fajer Information and Services, co-organizers of Arabplast 2013, said at a press conference that the Gulf s consumption will cross 8 % by 2020, compared to 25 % by Europe and NAFTA countries, and 37 % in Asian and Oceanic countries. Organizers emphasized that with the rapidly increasing per capita consumption of plastics in the Gulf; the GCC states should plan for higher production domestically, taking advantage of abundance of petrochemicals materials, the primary raw material for plastics. Satish Khanna, General Manager, Al Fajer Information and Services, described Arabplast as No. 1 show in the world for value of onsite machines displayed and in the sales volumes of raw materials. Khanna pointed out that in 2011, over 156 containers of machines were off-loaded at the Arabplast venue, and 154 containers of machines were sold and routed to differing countries in the region. He added that Arabplast is ranked as number one show in the region and number four in the world in plastics and petrochemicals. Khanna added that Arabplast 2013 was expected to be 34% bigger than the 2011 edition, following record number of exhibitors and sponsors. A record number of 900 companies from 41 countries participated in Arabplast 2013, a reflection on the growing importance attached by GCC countries to strengthening their manufacturing industries, including plastics and rubber sector. On display at Arabplast 2013 were new products and technologies in injection molding, blow molding, wrapping and packaging, pre and post plastic processing techniques as well as raw materials, such as additives and polymers. The show covered a wide spectrum of plastic machinery, plastic/rubber processing technology, pre and post-processing systems, plastic packaging technology, injection molding, blow molding, wrapping technology, extrusions, chemicals and additives, semi finished goods, engineering plastics and plastic products. Companies from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Italy, Jordan, KSA, Korea, Lebanon, Malaysia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Netherlands, Turkey, UAE, UK, US and Vietnam participated in the show. Source: Al Fajer Information and Services
Tablet enthralls CES 2013 by treading thin line between computers and paper A flexible, paper-thin tablet which looks and feels like a sheet of paper is being touted as a revolutionary advancement in computing. The PaperTab, a high-resolution plastic display PC prototype, was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A new concept device developed by Intel, Queen's University from Canada and the British firm, it caused a stir on the first day of the week-long conference with an interactive, 10.7 in plastic display that its makers called revolutionary. The team behind the PaperTab said their goal was to emulate the feel of paper with a robust, lightweight product that could bend and be dropped on a desk. "If the idea catches on, expect paper to never be the same again," said the news site. Powered by the second-generation Intel Core i5, the tablet will run one app per display. Users who are accustomed to running multiple apps on a single display will need to adapt by sharing information between PaperTabs, by tapping them next to each other. Users will be able flick through a document by bending the screen, or by joining screens together for a larger display. Each PaperTab will also be aware of other PaperTabs nearby, helping users keep track. Email can be sent by placing the device in an out tray or by bending the top corner of the display. The PaperTab can also store thousands of documents – obviating, its developers say, the need for stacks of paper or a traditional computer monitor. The developers of the PaperTab did not say when the tablet would reach the market, or how much it might cost. Ryan Brotman, a researcher at Intel, said in a statement: "We are actively exploring disruptive user experiences. The PaperTab project, developed by the Human Media Lab at Queen's University and Plastic Logic, demonstrates innovative interactions powered by Intel Core processors that could potentially delight tablet users in the future." Designers envisaged users working with several PaperTabs simultaneously, Brotman said. Roel Vertegaal, director of Queen's University's Human Media Lab, said: "Within five to 10 years most computers, from ultra-notebooks to tablets, will look and feel just like these sheets of printed color paper." Source: The Guardian
A new range of blow moulding machines abreast with the time Simplicity and Italian technology S.T. SOFFIAGGIO TECNICA S.R.L, a company with proven experience in the design and construction of blow moulding machines has recently introduced a new series of machines model ISIT.
The acronym ISIT was invented by ST SOFFIAGGIO TECNICA S.R.L. to identify this new range of machines for extrusion blow molding, summarizing in a word, the main features of the character: Italian simplicity. The technology ensured by the name of ST SOFFIAGGIO TECNICA was precisely simplified, but this did not result in a step backward, but in a leap forward, to build on and improve the developments achieved so far and, at the same time, overcome the contingent aggravating circumstances represented by a time of crisis, proposing an innovative product at a competitive market price. The evident innovations are in the clamping unit and in the extrusion section. As far as the clamping unit is concerned, two columns in diagonal support make the platens slide. Looking from the front, a column is at the top left and the other at the bottom right, on the side of components extraction. In this way, the gripper and extraction of the blown product from the mould finds no obstacle even in the case in which the piece and the respective mould are higher than the platens. The clamping unit is based on three plates, one for the support of each half mould and the third on which is installed the only hydraulic cylinder which moves the other two. The clamping force is applied to the rear of the latter through a bending bar, which avoids the transmission of not balanced forces and any deformation. The platens can reach very large openings and are guided at the bottom by means of prismatic guides with widely oversized roller bearings. The single screw extruder is based on HEX technology (High Output Extrusion) and has a high plasticizing capacity. Therefore, it was possible to reduce the diameter of the screws without affecting the capacity. A system of electric heating elements, with a level of efficiency almost equal to 1, allows transferring the heat to the material in an optimum manner. The heater bands are insulated to avoid the dispersion of heat into the environment and the screw does not overheat the material, even when it rotates at maximum speed. The plasticizing cylinder should no longer be cooled by means of special fans, neither the cooling bush of the feeding zone requires an intensive cooling, with further benefits in terms of reduction of the machine overall energy requirements. The lack of overheating also allows the optimum control of the melt temperature. The accumulator head with two cardioids is of FIFO type (First In First Out) and is equipped with a diverter, which provides the balanced stratification of the parison. The section of the hydraulic head allows the extrusion through an ejection piston; a transducer controls the amount of accumulated material while the extrusion speed and the parison thickness are checked on 500 points. The intermediate section of the thermal division has a watercooled flange of union of the ejection piston, whose flow is controlled by a pneumatic valve. The accumulation and
material ejection section is instead equipped with evacuation windows for carbon residues. The blowing unit is provided with a structure connected to the main frame through a guide with ball bearing, a solution that, during the mould change, allows to "move" the blowing unit under one half of the mould and to accurately adjust the blow pin position. The vertical movement is motorized and controlled by a linear transducer and the position can be stored. A column of reinforcement closes the group so that it can also be used with the inclined pin. The basic structure includes a hydraulic cylinder (for blow pin with fixed single stroke) and a pneumatic one (spreader); both can be inclined on conical elements. The pneumatic cylinders (supported on linear guides) are used to stretch the parison and the stroke adjustment in the positions of opening and closing is carried out independently by means of a shock absorber. The extraction gripper of the blown part is height adjustable to vary the distance between the taking points and the head, so as to minimize the production scrap. The gripping arms, pneumatically controlled and synchronized by means of toothed wheels, are supported by prismatic guides with recirculation ball bearings. A rod less pneumatic cylinder with integrated valves provides the translation. The device does not need any lubrication, avoiding the product contamination resulting from the fall of oil or grease. The grippers are water-cooled; the water passes through a circuit obtained inside them. ISIT series of machines for extrusion blow molding is designed primarily for industrial packaging application and technical articles. At the moment, the clamping forces go from 30 to 150 tons, the head accumulation volume from 3 to 40 liters and the screws from 50 to 120 mm of diameter (all with L / D = 30). Source: Assocomaplast
Safety Standards Promoted and supported by the Italian plastics and rubber processing machinery and moulds manufacturers' Association (ASSOCOMAPLAST) a new Technical Committee, called 270 Plastics and Rubber Machines, has been activated recently by ISO (International organization for standardization). The scope of ISO/TC 270 is the standardization in the field of machines used for the preparation, processing and recovery of plastics and rubber, including the detailed safety requirements for a particular machine. Such requirements are applicable to the design, construction and use of machinery for the plastics and rubber industry, addressing hazards, hazardous situations and hazardous events. Moreover, the Technical Committee could take into consideration other issues such as machine classification and measurement of energy consumption. Eleven countries (Armenia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia,
Polymer & Packaging | 13
Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States) have joined the ISO/TC 270 as PMembers (Participating Members), other four countries (Ecuador, South Korea, Spain, Thailand) as Observers. Seven delegations from China, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States took part in the first meeting. During the meeting Mr. Claudio Celata from ASSOCOMAPLAST has been appointed ISO/TC 270 Chairman, as he has a long experience as Chairman in the parallel Technical Committee of CEN, which has already defined 19 safety standards for as many kinds of plastics and rubber machines. Moreover, it has been decided to activate a first Working Group (WG 1), which will deal with safety requirements for injection moulding machines and will be convened by Mr. Bernd Notel, from DIN/VDMA Source: Assocomaplast
by key press on the main control panel. Highest production efficiency, 24/7 The ad*starKON SX is playing in its own league , says Herman Adrigan, Starlinger Sales Director. Compared to other conversion lines for this application it is extremely flexible and easy to handle. The successful introduction of the new Starlinger AD*STAR conversion line is reflected by the positive feedback of converters from various parts of the world, some of whom are running the lines 24/7. With its high degree of automatisation and special features the ad*starKON SX handles the critical steps in block bottom sack conversion perfectly, and sack converters like its uncomplicated mode of operation. The market demand is so high we can barely keep up with production and delivery , Adrigan adds. Since July 2012, when the first ad*starKON SX was delivered, 12 lines have left the Starlinger factories in Austria. Source: Starlinger & Co Gmbh
applications. Products covered are used for Packaging of Cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals, Medicals, Pesticides, Lubricants, Automotive and much more. The smallest blow molding machine has capacity from 5ml to 2 liters which can even be operated from very small space. The fully automatic machine also helps to reduce manpower. Smart machines are Compact, Fast and Energy efficient as compared to the complex large size machines. The Main Features of SMART Blow Molding Machines are as under: Single or Double Station Microprocessor Controls Helical Gear Box Larger Mould Area Superior Mixing Screws A.C. Drive Fast Dry Cycle Energy Efficient User Friendly
Starlinger & Co. In A League Of Its Own: High-speed Valve Starlinger & Co. GmbH opens Plastic Technology signs MoU with AIESEC Bottomer Ad*Starkon Sx Office in Indonesia Combining outstanding production speed, highprecision bottom closure and superfast format change, the latest model in the Starlinger AD*STAR conversion line series gives converters a technological head-start in poly-woven block bottom sack production. Performance excellence in converting The keyword is efficiency: Increased production efficiency translates into increased profits. In converting, high production efficiency means quick material roll change and format change, little machine downtime and a low waste rate. All these criteria have been taken into account in the development of the new ad*starKON SX to create a highly efficient, fast and reliable conversion line for the patented AD*STAR sacks made of coated polypropylene tape fabric. Designed for the economic production of standard, open mouth, 2-ply, pocket valve and BOPP laminated AD*STAR sacks the conversion line runs at a production speed of up to 85 sacks/minute, with a pin-free continuous sack transport system and highly precise bottom forming system ensuring reliable bottom and top closure without harming the fabric. Fabric width variations? Quick sack format change? Hakuna matata! The Swahili expression for No problem says it all: Even if the width of the tape fabric on a roll used for sack production varies, the ad*starKON SX will be able to convert it into perfect block bottom valve sacks. An integrated fabric width monitoring system continuously checks the fabric width and automatically compensates width variations, ensuring constant high-quality bottom geometry. This does not only avoid unnecessary machine stops but also reduces the number of rejects significantly. And changing the sack format is now easier than ever: It is done automatically
14 | Polymer & Packaging
Starlinger has opened an independent regional office in Surabaya to enhance sales and service support for customers in South East Asia.
PT Starlinger SEA has been founded in response to the growing woven packaging market in South East Asia and is operating as an independent company. It handles sales and service activities of both business areas of Starlinger, textile packaging machinery and plastics recycling lines, and is headed by Mr. Hengky Senjaya. Four regional technicians are available for technical service and support, with more technicians being hired and trained in the course of the year. The aim is to provide full technical service coverage and to establish Indonesia as the base for Starlinger s technical service activities in Asia. The new office will also facilitate the market development in the region and help us to further strengthen our position in Asia , says Starlinger Sales Director Hermann Adrigan. Source: Assocomaplast
Smart Innovates The Smallest Fully Automatic Extrusion Blow Molding Machine In The World Smart Machinery & Moulds Pvt. Ltd. announced the launch of its smallest extrusion blow molding machine in the world. Maximum Utilization of Floor Space was the key force driving the need to develop compact extrusion blow molding machines. Customers can gain higher productivity from the same floor space available with them smaller footprint, faster cycles result in higher output. Smart Extrusion Blow Molding Machines have smallest floor space used in the industry and are custom built to be suitable for various
LAHORE: In order to create awareness among the masses about plastic pollution and its dangerous impact on human life, Environment Friendly Oxo-biodegradable Plastic Technology (design to waste -D2w) with the collaboration of a non-government organization NGO- AIESEC has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) here on Tuesday. AIESEC has international Network and working for betterment of humanity especially for youth. AIESEC is actively working in Pakistani educational institutions like Lahore University of Management University (LUMS) Beacon National University (BNU) LSE, UET, etc. The signing ceremony of MoU held at the office of Business Dynamics the only distributor of pollution free plastic products world s number one oxo-biodegradable brand. D2W (design to waste) and international students organization AIESEC would gather at one platform in order to create awareness about plastic pollution which is fatal for the precious human life. Speaking on the occasion senior representative of d2w Saima Asghar said that both organizations are now aware of their responsibilities and motivated youth to save Pakistan from plastic pollution and play their due role in eliminating this. She said that, Environment Friendly Oxobiodegradable Plastic Technology (design to waste - D2W) has provided financial assistance to the youth. Vice President Organizing committee AIESEC Lahore Faiz Ahmad, speaking on the occasion, said that it s an honor for AIESEC that world s number one oxo-biodegradable brand d2w is going to sponsor this event. Source: Business Recorder
RECYCLING INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN... By: Fayyaz A. Chaudhry
Since its discovery in last quarter of 1800's the plastics has gone through various evolutionary phases, but nothing is more exciting and revolutionary than the oil embargo of 1973 imposed by Saudi Arabia and other Arab world countries. Counter steps by the western nations opened new avenues globally for industrial growth, but for the plastics industry it was a blessing in disguise. Innovative technology, environmental issues and legislation came into being. For the plastics industry in Pakistan, the financial crisis of 2007 proved to be the turning point. The oil embargo compelled the processors to use the re grind plastics and soon it became a norm of industry to reuse waste glass, paper, copper. As time went by and oil sanctions eased, the plastics industry in Pakistan flourished but soon environment concerns in US and European countries soon began to impact the industry. Solid waste became the topic in mid-1980s, as it was occupying the available land fill space and polymers being non-biodegradable in nature were playing a significant role. It was during this crisis that an interest in plastics recycling amplified worldwide and new legislation was introduced to allay the concerns. Environmental issues are also a matter of concern here in Pakistan and to address the issue, the government has drafted clear guiding principles. Consequently, not only have plastics bags been banned by all the four provincial governments in the country but there is also a complete ban on import of plastics scrap. In the year 2003, United Nations with the help of Ministry of Environment and assistance of Plastic Association, successfully phased out ozone depleting CFC gases. However, the recycling industry in the country has progressed in a haphazard manner, and to date the country
lacks a comprehensible federal policy to regulate the industry. Currently no specific data on the plastics recycling industry or the investments in Pakistan is available. Setting up a recycling unit is very cheap, local as out dated imported extruders are easily available in markets throughout the country. Furthermore, the last three years have also seen a new breed of equipment also making its way into the domestic market. Although there are large numbers of scrap dealer engaged in the business in the commercial capital city of Karachi, Lahore and Gujranwala continue to be considered the hub of recycling. According to Mr. Muhammad Aamir, a scrap dealer in Karachi. The ever increasing devaluation of Pakistani Rupee against the foreign currencies, unstoppable increase in oil prices, power & gas crisis and deteriorating law and order situation in the country has set of a significant impact. Scrap from the plastics processes which used to be sold in the market at a throw away prices became too valuable to simply discard. Even as crude oil prices stabilized globally which has helped bring down the price of polymers to their previous level, the economic benefits of using re grind and recycled plastic have been fully recognized and are aweinspiring for plastic processors. Not only the use of in house waste continues, the plastic processors are on incessant hunt for recycled material in the market. In absence of post industrial waste entire dependence has been shifted to post consumer plastics, while no attention is being given to plastics lying in landfill sites. This frenzy of using recycled plastic has driven the prices to
a mind bogging levels. While conventional recycling continues to lead the market, recycled High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) , Polyethylene Terephtalate (PET) and Polypropylene also holds fray in the domestic market. Of the three materials, recycled HDPE and Polypropylene are very well absorbed in Pakistan, while 78 per cent of the PET collected in domestic market is exported mainly to China. PET is sensitive to degradation from the additional heat and exposure to moisture during recycling. This commonly shows up a decrease in intrinsic viscosity, and therefore its demand is shifted to applications such as fiber, sheeting for thermoforms, non-food containers, strapping and molding compounds. During a discussion with Mr. S.M. Anwer, CEO of Plastimakers and an authority on recycled plastic, physical recycling is the only set-up prevalent in Pakistan. While the other two formats chemical recycling which involves breaking down the molecular structure of the polymer, using chemical reactions and thermal recycling which involves breaking down the chemical structure of the polymer, but instead of relying on chemical reactions, the primary vehicles for reaction is heat are virtually unheard of, more to the point plants needed for the chemical and thermal recycling are v e r y e x p e n s i v e a d d e d M r. A n w e r. Large scale or foreign investments in this sector are non-existent. A small consortium of Pakistani expatriates living in Europe and Middle East countries are in constant touch with the domestic market for setting up a small-medium scale modern recycling plant in Pakistan with an initial investment of 100 million Rupees. The majority of the funds are envisaged to be spent on acquiring land for the plant and equipment in addition to post consumer plastics waste. Polymer & Packaging | 15
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HOT TACK OF PACKAGING MATERIAL AND FILLING EFFICIENCY By: Labthink Instruments Co. Ltd, China The hot sealing performance of packaging materials is the main parameter to assess packaging ability of materials. It includes the hot tack and ultimate strength. Hot tack has been used to check the strength to peel off sealing parts, shortly after hot sealing (not cold yet). Whereas Ultimate seal strength has been used to check the strength by peeling off the sealing parts, when they have already gone cold. These parameters vary hugely with one material. However, the proper application of these parameters usually affects the choices of packaging materials and the actual filling efficiency. This paper is going to introduce the application of hot tack of materials by using filling product line material as an example. THE APPLICATION OF HOT TACK: Today, in food, medicine, cosmetics, and other areas, soft packaging often uses Form-Fill-Seal Machine. In these filling production lines, soft package manufacture is carried out at the same time with filling. The filling method is basically to fill the product into the package from a certain height. This falling of product cast strong impact to the bottom of packages. If the bottom cannot bear the impact, it will crack (package break). It will affect the 16 | Polymer & Packaging
cleanness and the filling efficiency. As on the filling product line, the time between hot sealing of package and product filling is very little, it is almost impossible to cool down the hot sealing parts in such a short time period. Since the ultimate strength is not applicable in this case. The hot tack should be adopted. It is commonly recognized that optimization of hot sealing process is an efficient way to shorten the packaging time. The hot tack test will be helpful for manufacturers to choose the best hot sealing parameters. Hot tack is applied to assure the running of filling product line. It will affect the filling efficiency and package break rate directly. The hot sealing performance is usually used to indicate the containment ability of materials. It is also to assure that the hot sealed parts are not going to leak during transportation, storage and exhibition. It is the pre-condition to realize the functions of packaging materials. CASE STUDIES: How to choose the best hot seal parameters of product line by making use of hot tack testing? The relationship between hot tack and hot sealing parameters of product line is going to be introduced in the following
paragraph. It is the case of Labthink helping its clients to test product. The client is an East Asian food production company. The company wanted to make a choice between A and B film, which share similar performance parameters. The company wanted a film to satisfy the requirement of product line and make the product line more efficient. The sealing side, sealing time and sealing pressure are all fixed. Client required that the hot sealing temperature to be no more than 133 C and the hot tack strength to be no lower than 2N. Given the conditions above, the hot sealing time should be as short as possible and energy saving. We used Labthink HTT-L1 hot adhesive pull tester to test the hot adhesive of film A & B. Hot sealing time was set to 0.3s, 0.5s, 0.7s; sealing temperature was set to 115 C, 118 C, 121 C, 124 C, 127 C, 130 C, 133 C. Other parameters were set in accordance with customer requirements. The width of the test sample was 25mm as customer required. Figure 1 and 2 is the test data curve of Film A and B respectively.
Figure 1 Film A: The Relationship Figure of Hot Adhesive, Heat Sealing Temperature and Heat Sealing Time Film B: The Relationship Figure of Hot Adhesive, Heat Sealing
Figure 2 Film B: The Relationship Figure of Hot Adhesive, Heat Sealing Temperature and Heat Sealing Time
In fact, there is a best temperature point in order to achieve the best hot adhesive of film materials. When the hot sealing temperature rises above the best temperature point, the hot adhesive will drop. From the figure 1 and 2 we can see that the best hot sealing temperatures are from 127 C ~ 130 C, and Film B's hot adhesive strengths are better than Film A. From the graph of Film A (Figure 1), when the hot sealing time is 0.3s, the hot adhesive did not reach the requirement of client (i.e. > 2N); when the hot sealing time is 0.5s, sealing temperature at 127 C ~ 133 C, the material could just reach the requirement of client; but when the hot sealing time is 0.7s and the
temperature is between 127 C ~ 133 C, the hot adhesive of the material could well satisfy the requirement. Thus in the case of film A, hot sealing time of more than 0.5s and temperature of 127 C ~ 133 C can satisfy the need of clients. Whereas from the graph of Film B (Figure 2), shows the better hot adhesive strengths. when the hot sealing time is 0.3s and the temperature is more than 118 C ~ 133 C, film B can satisfy customer s need for hot adhesive. As the time of hot sealing increased, the time need for hot sealing showed a significant drop. When the not sealing time reached 0.7s and temperature between 115 C ~ 133 C, film B could satisfy the customer needs.
Referring to the above test data, we believe that the film should be B, and the production line sealing parameters can be set: sealing time of 0.3 s ~ 0.5s, sealing temperature of 118 C. Of course, sealing temperature should also be further tested to determine the best value. It should be noticed that there values should be somehow over the margin in order to avoid uneven sealing, which could be caused by mechanical or material problem. Simply from the point of view of materials, we believe film A would lower the efficiency of filling and raise the energy cost of product line. However further analysis should be base on some other issues like material cost, availability and others.
GLOBAL INDUSTRY EXHIBITIONS Sino Corrugated 8 11 April 2013 Shanghai, China Gulf Print & Pack 2013 8-11 April 2013 Dubai, U.A.E Hong Kong International Printing and Packaging Fair 27-30 April 2013 Hong Kong Converflex 7-11 May 2013 Milan, Italy
GPCA Supply Chain Conference 13 15 May 2013 Dubai, U.A.E China Print 14-18 May 2013 Beijing, China Chinaplas 20-23 May 2013 Guangzhou, China Propack Asia 12-15 June 2013 Bangkok, Thailand
InterMold Thailand 20-23 June 2013 Bangkok, Thailand Taipei Pack 26-29 June 2013 Taipei, Taiwan K Show 2013 16-23 October 2013 Dusseldorf, Germany Plast Eurasia 2013 5 8 Dec 2013 Istanbul, Turkey
Polymer & Packaging | 17
08
ITALIAN PLASTIC INDUSTRY
EXPORT DRIVES IMPROVEMENTS For the Italian Industry of Plastics and Rubber Processing Equipment
extruders (each accounting for between 22 and 26 million euros in value terms) were Germany, Russia, France and China, with doubledigit increases compared to 2011.
Assocomaplast (the Italian trade association belonging to CONFINDUSTRIA, which groups together some 165 makers of machinery, moulds and equipment for plastics and rubber) has is sued its report on the sector s performance in 2012 based also on ISTAT foreign trade statistics - whose results are summarized below.
The advance of blow moulding machines can be attributed, in particular, to much stronger demand from the United States (up from 11 to over 20 million euros, making the US by a wide margin the top destination market for this category of machines), Russia (up from 3 to 7 millions) and Poland (up from less than 600.000 to 4.7 millions), to mention only the most salient examples of year-on-year change.
Italian Market of machinery, equipment and moulds for plastic and rubber (million euros) Production Exports Imports Domestic Market
2011 4,000 2,430 605 2,175
2012 4,000 2,575 625 2,050
%2012/2011 6.0 3.3 -5.7
Trade Balance (active)
1,825
1,950
6.8
Even more than in the past and more markedly than in other Italian mechanical equipment sectors production output was driven by exports, with an upward trend that, despite levelling off over the year, enabled Italian equipment manufacturers offset extremely weak domestic demand. In fact, the periodic business climate survey conducted by Assocomaplast on a sample of Italian processors also revealed a steep downturn in the domestic market over the course of 2012, which clearly also curbed the firms propensity to invest in new machinery. That said, the most recent 3-4 month forecast shows a less pessimistic outlook. According to the latest bimonthly survey conducted by Assocomaplast among its own members (i.e., among machinery makers), in the coming months respondents do not expect to see significant changes in orders for equipment. Going back to exports, an analysis of the equipment categories accounting for the most significant shares of the total, excluding the generic and/or aggregate groupings, shows sales of extruders up by 9 percentage points, and blow moulding machines up by 18 points. Injection moulding machines, by contrast, lost their former importance in value terms, with a 20% decline in 2012 compared to 2011, also as a result of certain long-established manufacturers going out of business or experiencing severe difficulties. The main destination countries for 18 | Polymer & Packaging
Moulds merit a special mention, as they by now account for over a quarter of total exports, and ended 2012 with a 19 percentage point rise relative to 2011. In the case of moulds, there was a notable boom in exports to Serbia, up from 1.4 to over 21 million euros (probably partly attributable to the FIAT factory at Kragujevac), as well as higher sales to Poland (+37%, to reach around 48 millions) and the United States (+71% to reach 22 millions). Destination areas of the italian plastic and rubber machinery, equipment and moulds exports (%) Europe (UE) North America/NAFTA Central/South America Africa Asia/Oceania Total
2011 58.8 (46.4)
2012 60.0 (46.5)
9.1 8.7
10.5 8.2
4.2 19.2 100.0
4.7 16.6 100.0
It is worth noting that the trends which emerge from the regional break-down of the sector s exports and namely an increase in sales to Europe and North America set against decline in sales to SouthAmerica and, even more so, to Asia have also been also felt in the other countries that manufacture this type of machinery. More in detail, the ranking of the main purchasing countries of Italian exports shows the first five places to be occupied, in the same order as in 2011, by: Germany (with 14.6% of the total, and a 6.8% increase), France (6.8%; +10.9%), United States (6.2%; +32.9%), China (5.4%; 6.4%), Russia (5.2% +17.8%).
INDIA: PLASTIC INDUSTRY TO TOUCH RS 1,000 BILLION GROWTH IN 2013 By: Ginu Joseph, Editor in Chief, Modern Plastics India Plastics are used in a variety of consumer products and industries. One of the most common uses is preserving food; polyvinylidene chloride, polyethylene polypropylene are used to wrap foods (meat, vegetables), drinks (milk, juice) and products such as butter, respectively. They are necessary to prevent food from becoming spoiled, to protect from illness and to preserve the nutrient content of food. The medical industry uses plastics in a range of equipment like tubing, intravenous bags, gloves, masks, syringes, lab ware and stethoscopes. Plastics are also used in home insulation, PVC pipes for plumbing, transportation, clothing (spandex, polyester and nylon), and electronics such as mobile phones. The Plastics Industry in Gujarat has made considerable attainments ever since it made a foremost hub of plastic industry. The Plastic Industry in India consists of about 30,000 systems of which Gujarat includes over 6,100 tiny, medium as well as small units. This totals to about one-fifth of the amount of units in the country, indicating the growth of the plastic industry in Gujarat. They are involved in generating variety of items through shot moulding, strike moulding, extrusion and
calendaring. Moreover, vast potential can be found for the development of Plastic Processing Market, as at present the per capita consumption of plastic is only 0.7 kg compared to the world average of 11 kg. The capabilities built in most sections of this industry in addition to natural abilities have made us capable of offerings as well as maintaining offshore markets. The economic changes released in Gujarat since 1991, have included further fillip to the Gujarat Plastic Processing market. Combined projects, international investment strategies, easier access to technology from western world etc have started out up new views to further assist in the growth of this market. The Analysis & Progression on Biodegradable Plastic should take up strength and the industry may join hands with R&D Organizations to enhance the analysis activity in this essential area of technology to save the planet from the problem to keep it cleaner and eco-friendly. The turnover of the Indian plastics industry is likely to grow to Rs 1,000 billion (Rs 100,000 crore) in 2013 and approximate estimate on the expectation that the demand potential
will grow from the current nine million metric tonnes (MMT) to 15 MMT. Automotive industry is one of the leading consumers of plastics in the country. The per capita consumption of plastic products in the country is growing, according to the forum, and the government is trying economic reforms to boost the industry. The number of processing units is expected to increase by 35% to 45,000, which in turn will increase the employment potential of the sector, noted the report. "Independent studies show that the industry currently hires more than three million people, directly and indirectly, is expected to employ close to four million in 2013 and seven million by 2015." According to a report of one of global analytical firm, the world trade in plastics is expected to reach 190 MMT by end of 2013, providing a lucrative opportunity to India. However, the report says, with just a 1.5 % share in world export volumes, India is not in a position to cash in on the opportunity. What is more, the industry needs to enhance capacity, upgrade facilities, improve productivity and increase utilization of critical plastic applications.
Polymer & Packaging | 19
BIODEGRADABLES: BACK TO NATURE
By: Dr. G. M. Chapman and Eugen Karl Mössner (Cto)
From the time of their discovery and commercialization, plastics were designed to be long lasting and persistent, as the industry developed techniques and additives to support this trait. Apart from certain early cellulose derivatives, which were not necessarily thermoplastic, the first work on biodegradable plastics started in the 1970s with researchers studying granular starch in polyethylene, developing gelatinized starch and evaluating of the biodegradability of polycaprolactone.
REGULATIONS While there was commercial development of these findings, the technologies only came under public scrutiny in the late 1980s. From 1985, several plastic products were introduced to the market with claims of biodegradability, as a few were marketed to help save diminishing landfill space. However, the US Federal Trade Commission, certain states attorneys general, state legislators and the U.S. Congress became concerned over several of the claims. In the US, 48 legal actions were initiated for misleading environmental advertising, including those against Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and Mobil, which resulted in fines about $1 million each. The latter was making claims for the biodegradability of Hefty bags in landfill when they included a photo degradation additive. The resulting negative publicity set
20 | Polymer & Packaging
the biodegradable plastics industry back by several years. In addition, the Committee D 20.96 by the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) was created to standardize test methods and standards, as there was an overreaction against degradable plastics based on polyethylene and a focus on rapid mineralization (conversion of polymers by microorganisms to carbon dioxide, water and biomass).
Instead of designing special biodegradable polymers, researchers have developed a technology to provide suitable additives for commodity polyolefines The committee developed the test method ASTM D 5338, which is a laboratory procedure to determine carbon dioxide evolution under simulated compost conditions. This became the basis for similar test methods in Europe and Japan. However, it has several drawbacks, the most significant being that the test does not take account of the amount of the plastic polymer that is biodegraded and assimilated into the biomass.
A Standard Guide, D 6954-04, was later created for exposing and testing plastics that degrade in the environment using a combination of oxidation and biodegradation. While this is a significant step forward to the acceptance of the oxo-biodegradable technologies, it has yet to be a standard.
BIODEGRADABLE TECHNOLOGIES
PLASTICS
As oxo-biodegradable plastics require oxidation before the polymer or polymer fragments can be metabolized by microorganisms, biodegradable polyesters need hydrolysis before they can be mineralized, particularly polylactic acid, which is hydrolyzed during composting and later mineralized. The polylactic acid is also not directly attacked by the microorganisms. Here are more details about bioplastics.
NATURALLY DERIVED POLYMERS Many naturally derived polymers have been tried in plastic applications and some of these have been deemed as thermoplastic. While the polymers derive from nature and there is an availability of enzymes to metabolize them, the polymer properties are however not necessarily compatible with typical plastic processes; nor are their properties comparable to synthetic polymers. Cellulose and its derivatives have been used for many years. Cellulose can be made into thermoplastic by chemical treatment.
The main derivatives, cellulose acetates, unfortunately become less biodegradable due to the higher degree of substitution by acetate that improves processing. Starch, derived from corn, wheat or other cereal sources, is readily and widely available and has been the target of many attempts at commercialization in the plastics industry. However, starch decomposes at a lower temperature than it melts and therefore, for conventional processing, it needs to be plasticized, for example with water, glycerol or urea. Because of the properties of starch, particularly its sensitivity to humidity, it needs to be blended with other processible polymers, such as polycaprolactone, in many applications. It is widely used in the loose fill sector, where starch is often blended with small amounts of polyvinyl alcohol, and can be used to replace expanded polystyrene. Granular starch has been used as an additive to enhance the biodegradability of materials such as polyethylene. However, it does not render the synthetic polymer biodegradable. While the biodegradability of natural starch has not been questioned by industry players, it has been shown to mineralize rapidly in aerobic or anaerobic conditions. However, like cellulose, with increasing substitution by acetyl groups, the biodegradation rate of starch falls. Several other natural polymers have been proposed for biodegradable plastics, such as chitin/chitosan, proteins, particularly those derived from soy or wheat. However, their performance has not yet been satisfactory enough for commercialization. But with the spiraling cost of fossil fuel derived polymers, they could have a future.
POLYESTERS Many varieties of polyesters have been proposed for biodegradable plastic applications, as several of them are produced microbiologically, particularly polyhydroxy butyrate/valerate. Until now this has not been a cost-effective process and Monsanto with Biopol (the technology belonged to ICI formerly) withdrew from the business. Metabolix and ADM, Procter and Gamble and Nodax are however proposing to commercialize these polymers. Biodegradable aliphatic polyesters have been produced in Japan by companies such as Dhowa Highpolymer with Bionolle and in Korea by Ire Chemical. The materials are however costly to use. Biodegradable aliphatic/aromatic polyesters have been developed by Eastman and Eastar (the technical know-how is currently owned by Novamont), as well as BASF and Ecoflex. These developments also face cost issues. Another version of aromatic polyester is Biomax from Dupont. The material biodegradables slowly and does not mineralize in less than 180 days in many tests.
Polylactic acid has been produced for many years mainly for medical applications and only in the last 10 years has it been proposed for commodity type applications. Much of this thrust has come from Cargill, whose production includes fermentation followed by formation of the dimmer and then polymerization, which means a high cost of production. There are several other polylactic acid producers, mainly in Japan. Other
Polyvinyl chloride has been suggested as a biodegradable material but the degradation is usually due to a loss of plasticizer resulting in embrittlement polyesters include materials such as polyglycolic acid, but these are not used in thermoplastic applications.
VINYL POLYMERS The two main biodegradable vinyl polymers are polyvinyl alcohol (PVAL) and ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH). The degradation of these polymers requires oxygen and they do not biodegrade anaerobically. The speed of biodegradation of these polymers depends on several factors – for polyvinyl alcohol the degree of hydrolysis, whether it is predissolved in water and whether the microbial population has been acclimatized to the material. For EVOH, its speed of biodegradation depends on the ethylene content (the higher the ethylene content the slower the rate of degradation).
Polyvinyl chloride has been suggested as a biodegradable material but the degradation is usually due to loss of plasticizer resulting in embrittlement, although it can be made oxidatively degradable.
OXIDATIVELY DEGRADABLE, BIODEGRADABLE SYSTEMS Instead of designing special biodegradable polymers, researchers have developed a technology to provide suitable additives for commodity polyolefines, such as polyethylene and polypropylene. These polymers generally have to be stabilized in order to be susceptible to oxidative degradation. Polymers such as linear low density polyethylene and polypropylene need antioxidants for processibility and stability in use. By selecting a suitable commodity polymer and designing an appropriate additive, the necessary stability in use and degradation in the designated environment can be tailor-made with a “programmable life”. As the additive, generally used at low levels, is added to a standard polymer, processing is straightforward as changes are not necessary in the manufacturing procedure. The physical properties of the product remain the same or are insignificantly different from the standard. Furthermore, the cost of the finished product is very close to the standard.
OTHERS Other biodegradable polymers include Polyox, poly(ethylene oxide), which is water soluble and environmentally degradable due to oxidation and aerobic biodegradation. Polyox has been used to make films.
There has been considerable commercial activity with polyvinyl alcohol in the past few years, particularly in Europe with companies such as Idroplast, Polyval, Aquafilm (now part of Monosol) and the Environmental Polymer Group (now part of Stanelco) promoting mainly PVAL film. Because of the strength of P VA L i t c a n b e c o s t competitive on the basis of simple strength. However, it requires plasticization (like starch), is difficult to work with and is susceptible to moisture and changes in h u m i d i t y. I t s biodegradability can be slow and depends critically on the conditions.
Polymer & Packaging | 21
PERFORMANCE USING
Oxo-Biodegradable Additive System An Experiment | By: Eugen Karl Mössner
within six weeks, resulting in polymer fractions that are small enough to be metabolized by environmentally ubiquitous microorganisms. The threshold value of Mw for transformation is less than 40,000 daltons.
Oxo-biodegradable plastic additives provide viable, practical and easy to use solutions to littering of plastic products. These additives have been developed in Europe and the US for over the last 15 years. In a life test of Addiflex system, oxidative degradation of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) polymer carrier bag was observed within six weeks in outdoor weather conditions between 18°C and 40°C with sunlight and rain. A parallel test in Germany was also carried out under weather conditions between 5°C and 28°C with sunlight and rain. The results exceeded the performance seen in controlled laboratory tests. Here are the details of the typical degradation process initiated by oxo-biodegradable systems.
The first stage of the degradation process leads to macromolecular chain breakdown due to the decomposition of peroxides, which drives the auto-accelerating oxidation of the polymer. The decomposition is accelerated by the transition metal catalysts. The molecular weight (Mw) of the HDPE film was reduced from the original 180,000 daltons to Mw of 1,253 daltons
The second stage, known as the biodegradation stage, metabolizes the material from stage one with
Oxo-biodegradable plastic additives have been developed in Europe and the US for over the last 15 years microorganisms resulting in biomass, water and carbon dioxide. From extensive testing and research, it is observed that oxidative degradation is a normal precursor to biodegradation in the same way nature disposes off lignin fractions of wood and other plant matter. The term oxo-biodegradation
is therefore used to emphasize the biodegradation of plastics in the two stages.
USING ADDITIVE From research, the AddiFlex additive provided results related to compostable plastic characteristics in addition to its oxobiodegradable prope rties. Under composting conditions of 60°C and 5% oxygen, the Mw value dropped to less than 5,000 in six weeks and at 70°C and 5% oxygen in less than two weeks. The mineralization of the plastic reached was more than 60% within 180 days, which meets the specification of the ASTM D6400, under composting conditions. A parallel test in industrial compost showed that AddiFlex modified polyethylene-film in its unfilled as well as wood- fiber filled version disintegrated during the maturation of industrial compost. Only 19.3% of the original film material was found after 12 weeks. There was a negligible weight (ratio) in the residue after 12 weeks had, with the plastic averaging 0.003% of dry weight after screening with a 20mm mesh. This was below the maximum allowable volume of 0.1% set by the Swiss Compost Regulations.
Subscription Form I would like to subscribe to Polymer & Packaging International, Pakistan s premier quarterly industrial magazine starting from __________ for a period of: q 1 year
q 2 years
q 3 years
q 4 years
q 5 years
Company: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Name (Mr/Ms/Mrs): ____________________________________________ Designation: ___________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________ Zip Code: ____________________ Country: _______________________________ Tel: ________________________________ Fax: _______________________________ Mobile: _____________________________ Email: _____________________________________________ Web-site: _______________________________________________
I am hereby enclosing a cheque/bank order/DD in favor of Thesis Publishing" Karachi-Pakistan.
Signature: _____________________
Date :_______________________
Annual Subscription International (4 issues including air shipment cost): US$ 220, 20% discount on 2 year subscription, 25% on 3 year subscription, 30% on 4 year subscription, 40% on 5 year subscription. Annual Subscription Local (4 issues including courier cost): Rs. 1500 22 | Polymer & Packaging